Chapter 39
Chapter 39 – With the Night’s Protection
“Come in . ”
As Jongjin went in, a woman in her 30s greeted them with a smile . The stress was evident beneath the makeup of hers .
Jongjin was shaking as a he went over to the counter and asked .
“You can call her?”
“Yes, of course . ”
“2 people . We’re only gonna be here for 2 hours . Just give us 4 bottles of beer . How much is it . ”
“156 dollars . ”
Jongjin put down his card and paid .
“……”
Jaegun was shocked that he couldn’t say anything . He had no time to stop him . It happened so fast .
“Go in and sing some songs . The second room . ”
“Yes, Jaegun, let’s go,”
Jongjin pulled Jaegun into the room .
Not understanding the situation, Jaegun asked with a pale face before he sat down .
“Hey! Park Jongjin! What are you doing!”
“What am I doing . Let’s have fun . ”
“What are you talking about . How is the fee over 150 dollars? What is this place?”
Jaegun’s two eyes were looking at the room .
It was a room with a huge tv on the wall, with two mikes . It was a plain karaoke bar .
“You idiot, how do you not know this when you’re writing . I called a helper . ”
“Helper?”
Jaegun asked since he didn’t understand .
Jongjin laughed and continued as he took off his coat .
“A karaoke helper . ”
“What?”
Jaegun squinted immediately .
He had never experienced this before . . He knew it through the internet but he only had a little information about it .
“Don’t be nervous . We’re only singing together and having fun . I don’t know what you’re thinking but it’s not a disorderly, chaotic environment so be a.s.sured . ”
“Where did you learn this?”
“I got it from my superior . We came here once . We just cleanly talk and sing and then we just leave . It’s much better than just two men singing here alone . “
“I don’t understand you . ”
Jaegun shook his head .
Jaegun’s actions right now weren’t very good in his mind .
He had no plan to reject him for the reason of losing to pleasure . He wasn’t a child and even he had that flexibility . But the problem was different .
“Did you have this feeling to play because of Hyojin?”
“Ahh, it’s not what you think . And it’s already fate that
I’m not getting with Hyojin . ”
Jaegun thought Jongjin was already drunk as he was laughing like this . He didn’t know that he would get drunk this easily .
Jaegun asked as he sat beside him .
“Were you working overtime a lot?”
“How did you know?”
“I can tell from your face . I feel like you might collapse if I just tap you . Let’s go to my room and sleep . ”
“I’m not tired, idiot, and I already called them . ”
“Then I can go out and cancel it so let’s…”
Creak!
As Jaehn was saying, the owner opened the door and came in .
4 bottles of beer, with snacks, and a plastic cup came on the table quickly .
Jaegun said to the woman .
“Ma’am, I’m sorry but we’re about to go?”
“Going?”
“Ah, Ha Jaegun . What are you doing?”
“You be quiet, I’m sorry . I’ll give you the beer cost . ”
With Jaegun’s words, the owner pointed behind her back sullenly .
“The girls are already here?”
“Yes?”
Jaegun could see them .
Two girls were standing behind the woman’s back
They were both in their early 20s . With a see through short hotpants, with black stockings, with heels, they were very skinny .
“We just go?”
The girl on the left asked . She had a pretty face that looked like a cat . With heavy makeup and hair that was pulled up, the two girls looked the same like siblings .
“No, come in . ”
Jongjin stood up and pulled them together . At the same time, he pulled out 30 dollars and gave it to the woman .
“Bring me some more beer . As much as the money gets . ”
“Yes, I’ll bring it . ”
The woman closed the door and left .
Understanding that it was too late, Jaegun gave up and sat down on the couch as he fell down . The two woman sat beside Jaegun and Jongjin and opened the beer bottle .
“Should I pour it?”
“I’ll just drink it . ”
Jaegun took the bottle and drank a sip . It was a uncomfortable and weird feeling . His heartbeat was faster than usual .
“What’s your names?”
Jongjin asked .
The two people looked at each other and answered .
“It’s Dasul . ”
“Sulgi . ”
They were names that was felt spontaneous .
But anyway, it was all fine . The girl that called herself Dasul was beside Jaegun . She lifted the remote?
“Can I sing a song . ”
The girl picked a song and stood up . As if he waited, Jongjin shook the tambourine and shouted . Jaegun looked at the screen and simpered .
‘There was nothing that isn’t too much . ’
It was the thought that came as time went by .
As Jongjin said, it wasn’t a chaotic atmosphere .
They sang songs alternating and danced when they felt like it . In between, they drank and said small things .
That was it .
They were people that they weren’t going to see each other after this, there was no need for heavy talks .
‘How many drinks do these girls drink each day . Can their bodies stand this?’
Jaegun clucked his tongue as he looked at the empty bottle below the table . After our time is up, they’re going to sing with others and drink more . It felt like even if he was paid, he couldn’t drink this much .
“Yah, Ha Jaegun . Go sing a song . ”
Jongjin shouted as he was singing and having fun til he was sweating .
Jaegun shook his head and refused .
He wasn’t the type of person to have fun in front of strangers .
‘Yes, Park Jongjin, thank you, for letting me have this experience . ”
Anyway, it was a positive thing as a writer to have a lot of experiences . Maybe the day will come when I write about these 2 days . Jaegun thought this as he clapped to Jongjin’s singing .
At that moment .
“Are you mad?”
The girl next to Jaegun asked .
As Jaegun wrinkled his forehead because he didn’t hear,
the girl said louder to his ear .
“Are you angry! Why do you have no words!”
“That’s not it . I just can’t sing . ”
“Not singing! You’re not talking! Do you not like me?”
“No, if I tell you truthfully, I never had an experience like this so it’s awkward . ”
“Phew, so boring . What’s your job? I feel like it’s nothing with strength?”
Jaegun thought for a second .
He didn’t want to tell her that he was a writer . So the thought that came up was the job was his debut work .
“I go around markets and I sell electric pads . ”
“Electric pad? If you’re talking about market, you go around the entire country? With a truck?”
“I have a lamborghini . ”
“What, a lamborghini? Makes no sense . ”
Even though she said that, she was smiling as if it was funny .
Jaegun smiled with as an answer . They knew that nothing was truthful in this place . This place was somewhere that even lying didn’t feel bad .
“Just work hard . There is an easy job to get money . Just working everyday to eat and live is something to be grateful for . ”
The woman said after the song was over and it was less loud .
Jaegun was thinking .
It was something that didn’t fit with a girl who looked to be in her early 20s .
‘Yes, everything is hard . ”
He could see through the heavy make up . A look of sadness in her eyes . The chin that was shaking because of her sighs . It was a feeling that the girl’s hard life was pa.s.sing through him .
“Want to drink?”
“Yes, gimme it . ”
Jaegun’s mind was solemn all of a sudden .
Thinking that it was a reader’s over thinking, he berated himself and drank the cup .
Time went by very fast .
The 2 hours pa.s.sed by and the alarm that sent the message of goodbye was ringing .
“I had fun . ”
Jaegun stood up quickly and pulled up Jongjin who was moving limply . Jongjin drank a lot and he was out of control for the 2 hours, so he was completely tired .
“Good bye . ”
“It was nice to meet you . ”
The two women waved their hands and said their superficial goodbyes . As the women stayed as if to calculate something, Jaegun and Jongjin left .
As they left, the cool air was pushing on to the,
Jongjin stretched and he yawned . Jaegun asked as he was stretching .
“Is your mind a bit better?”
“Ah, hm… . ”
Jongjin scratched his nose, looked around, and shook his head .
“Seriously, it was a waste of money when I woke up . ”
“Why did you get drunk so early?”
“I must have been tired . I had a lot of fun but it’s too
expensive . Next time if we’re going, you stop me . ”
“You insane person . Let’s go get some seolleongtang . ”
“Good . Can I stay at your house for today?”
“Yeah, I can get some blankets . ”
The two people ate a hot dish of seolleongtang and came back to his house with a taxi .
As he opened the door, Rika jumped out from the cat tower and greeted him .
“Rika, It’s Jongjin . Come to me . ”
Jongjin said as he opened his arms .
Rika glared at him with a sharp glance and went to the cat tower to avoid him .
“What? Are you discriminating? Right now?”
“She sort of is a bit shy . Go ahead and clean up . ”
Jaegun took out the clothes to change in to .
As he took them, Jongjin looked around the one room and said .
“You get a lot of money . Can’t you move to a larger
place/”
“Why, this is the best place to write . ”
“You have a cat so isn’t this a bit stuffy? And even so,
the location is a bit too weird . Move to a place where the subway is 5 minutes away . ”
“I like this place . It’s quiet . ”
The place where Se Gunwoo was resting
He might think about moving to a larger house nearby, but he wasn’t going to leave this place .
Jongjin, as if he didn’t understand, shook his head and went into the bathroom and locked the door .
Using this time, Jaegun took about a 100 dollar bill and put it secretly into Jongjin’s wallet . It was half of the cost of the karaoke bar .
‘I want to give everything but, if I did, he’s going to get made later . So, how about we write today’s diary . ”
Jaeun sat on the chair and turned on the laptop .
He was rewriting the diary that he hadn’t written for a while . Maybe writing a diary would help him find a good plot and a story .
‘I wrote Pegelon’s Swordsman … I went on a drive with Rika… I went to the grave of Se Gunwoo… I met with Jongjin and went to a karaoke bar… . ’
There were so many things to write about .
It doubled up to twice the size with Jongjin entering the day instead it only being with Rika and him . Jaegun,
feeling the heat of Rika on his knees, wrote the diary .
‘What did that girl say . ’
After he finished writing
He thought of the words that the girl had said .
Looking through his memory, Jaegun quickly remembered and typed on the keyboard .
-Just work hard . Where is there an easy job to get money . Just working everyday to eat and live is something to be grateful for .
‘This has a good feeling to it . ’
A sentence that’s plain but has human feeling and emotion to it .
Jaegun repeated the words in his head .
He didn’t even know that Jongjin finished washing and was standing there right behind